Auburn guard Bryce Brown celebrates after scoring a three-point basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.(Photo: Brynn Anderson, AP)

AUBURN – Bryce Brown is taking what his head coach at Auburn is “a free look” by entering the NBA draft evaluation process.

Brown announced Wednesday morning that he has decided to declare for the draft process, but does not intend to hire an agent in order to have the option of returning for his senior season.

“I want to thank God for everything he has done for me and the way he has led me,” Brown said in a university statement. “I had a dream to play in the NBA one day and I want to pursue that dream. Testing the waters will be a great opportunity for me and my family to see where I’m at in the process.

Brown more than doubled his scoring average to 15.9 points per game and became the 36th player in program history to tally 1,000 career points in a 207-18 season where Auburn won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title for the first time since 1999. The Stone Mountain, Georgia, native, who led Auburn in scoring for most of the season, is just the 18th player in the Auburn record books to reach 1,000 points by the conclusion of their junior season.

“I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for putting me in great situations to succeed and show what I can do on the court,” Brown said. “I want to thank the fans and the Auburn family as well. Together, we created something special this past season with the best home-court advantage in the country.”

Throughout the last month of play, Brown dealt with a foot injury, shoulder injury and what seemed to be an illness during an on-campus practice before the team left for San Diego for the program’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2003.

“I’m not sure there is a player in college basketball who has improved more over the last three years than Bryce Brown.”

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl on Bryce Brown.

Brown proved to be an elite shooter during his college career as the Naismith Trophy top-30 honoree has hit a program-record 324 3-point shots. Brown buried 107 3-pointers, which was the second-most in single-season history. However, on the other end of the floor, Brown was used by Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl as a defender against the opponent’s best perimeter scorer.

“I’m not sure there is a player in college basketball who has improved more over the last three years than Bryce Brown,” Pearl said in a university statement. “He is an elite shooter, an improved playmaker and a great defender. We’re really excited for this opportunity for Bryce.”

Brown is now the third Auburn player, along with Jared Harper and Austin Wiley, to announce their intention to investigate being a part of the 2018 NBA draft. Desean Murray and Davion Mitchell have announced their intention to leave the Auburn program. Auburn leading scorer Mustapha Heron announced last month that he would be declaring for the draft but essentially ended his college career by stating his intention to hire an agent. With the now expected losses of Heron, Murray and Mitchell and Auburn being down one scholarship from the 2017-18 season, Auburn is expected to have four scholarship offers open this summer.

Brown, a former three-star prospect out of high school, was named to a first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and second-team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches.

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Montgomery Advertiser columnist Duane Rankin and Auburn beat writer discuss the value of Auburn junior guard Bryce Brown and if he should SEC player of the year honors.
Duane Rankin/Montgomery Advertiser